Without the fans there would be no Formula One, fact. That is how sport in general works, it exists purely to entertain the fans that love it and without them it would simply die.
Formula one fans have had to put up with a lot, with the constantly increasing ticket prices the vast majority have been priced out of actually being able to attend races live, meaning they had to watch it at home on the TV. No bad thing in itself because TV coverage has improved massively, especially since the BBC took over the coverage two and a half years ago. But Bernie's constant drive for money has seen the rights to broadcast it split between the BBC and Sky Sports as of next year, meaning that once again, many fans can no longer afford to enjoy their favourite sport.Here's how it will work; the BBC will show 10 of the 20 races live with highlights of the other 10 later that evening, Sky will show everything live. Incredibly, both Bernie and the BBC are saying that this is a good thing for fans. HOW IS IT GOOD?
The 'Upside'
They are saying that 'You'll still get to watch 10 of the races live for free!' Oh, brilliant. And the other 10? Well, in order to watch them we have to either fork out several hundred pounds a year to Rupert Murdoch (I won't go into all that right now but suffice to say, I dislike the man) for some channels we will never use and one we will use for a couple of hours for a few weeks of the year or we will have to avoid all TV, radio and internet for the whole day in case we find out the result before watching edited highlights several hours after the race has finished. Wow, I can't wait.What's really annoying though is that the teams are also billing this change as a good thing. Why? Because they get more money, simple as that.
Better for fans?!
Colin Kolles, boss of HRT F1 Team said to Autosport, "If you would ask my colleagues after the meeting with Bernie Ecclestone, everybody is very happy. Bernie has shown again to his people, who are criticising him, what fantastic deals he has done. He has also done fantastic for the fans because it is not only 10 races on BBC live, you also have the other 10 races on at prime time, at 6pm, on BBC - which is even better because I don't believe that someone likes to wake up at 4am to watch an F1 race. This will bring much increased viewership and it brings a quite amazing deal to the stakeholders of F1. I think Bernie has shown again what a fantastic job he is doing and this has to be really appreciated."
I'm sorry, but what is this? "fantastic for the fans", having highlights at 6pm instead of the live race is "even better" and it will bring "increased viewership". This is utter nonsense. Viewing figures will definitely go down, there can simply be no arguments about that. Bernie himself said it just a few months ago, saying that moving to Sky would be "suicide" for the sport. The teams too have always been against moving away from free-to-air TV channels. The stench of hypocrisy surrounding this new deal is almost suffocating.There's a word in that quote however, that tells us why everybody is so happy, "stakeholders". All Bernie and the teams care about any more is money, and to hell with what the fans think.
I'm no expert, but that's no way to run a sport.
Well I have access (via bt vision) to subscribe to sky sports 1 and or 2, but feel very loathed to do so.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing subscribing to one or the other would be no good anyway due to sky changing which channel they broadcast on?.
Basically, they have me, and alot of other people by the short and curlies and I can't see this changing. The bbc won't back down, and no one (inc teams, possibly excluding martin brundle) will ever admit this decision is wrong. Simply wrong.
The best we can hope for is a delayed 'live' feed, but I doubt this will happen. Dont know really what to do, though I do know I will miss the sport I love so much and be lost on a formula 1 weekend trying to avoid twitter/news etc etc.
Please listen to your fans and sort this out!!
Bye bye Ecclestone! I for one am a disgruntled fan who won't be pushed around by you like you manage with the rest of the F1 circus. When you stop and think about where your millions come from perhaps you might like to reconsider - but then again, NO!
ReplyDeletePS Sorry Jenson but you work for the wrong people.
The death of F1!? Between the 'climate change' pedellars and the money men, I fear the sport that I've watched and loved since the early '80s will soon be no more. The "fanastic deal" that Colin Kolles talks about is only a fantastic deal for them. And who is he to say that fans would rather watch highlights at 18:00 rather than the race live at 04:00? He obviously doesn't know and understand the F1 fan that he is supposed to be entertaining! I for one like the fact that you sometimes need to get up at all sorts of strange times to follow the sport, makes it kind of special (for me anyway!lol) I think F1 might end up like the joke that the WRC has!
ReplyDeleteCan someone grab Bernie by the throat and do the world a favour? .... While they are at it, Rupert Murdoch and his son too!
ReplyDeleteI just hope the team sponsors vote with their feet - that is the only way something will be done.
I think it's the BBC that ultimately screwed it up - they should have been dedicated to the cause and stopped wasting money elsewhere. Why buy 'The Voice' to compete with the X Factor? BBC doesn't need to compete with a commercial broadcaster, especially when BBCF1 was getting millions of viewers.
ReplyDeleteI just hope we get deferred races instead of crappy extended highlights.
Don't forget to sign http://www.petition.co.uk/investigation-into-the-legality-of-the-recent-bbcsky-f1-deal/
ReplyDeleteThis deal amost certainly Breaks UK & EU Competition Laws